"Flaming Burst!"
Charlotte Linlin temporarily discarded Napoleon and swung her fists, adorned with rings studded with gold and gemstones, toward Ren.
The soul-infused flame Prometheus and the Conqueror's Haki-wrapped lightning roared in tandem!
Ren's hands were also wreathed in Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, and the power of the Oguchi no Magami was released!
His claws were perhaps tougher than any blade in this world. With Haki added on top, they were not merely indestructible, but capable of destroying anything!
And Big Mom was a born destroyer known as the Iron Balloon!
Their fists collided, instantly sending a violent shockwave blasting outward!
Or rather, their fists hadn't actually collided at all. It was as if some invisible medium existed between them, preventing contact.
In truth, it was their Conqueror's Haki clashing against each other. Even through the air, black lightning crazily shot outward in all directions.
These bolts of "lightning" weren't real lightning. They were merely the physical manifestation of Haki in the shape of lightning.
When they discharged, they acted like a radiant core, violently unleashing their energy in every direction.
'They didn't touch! Is that Conqueror's Haki infusion?'
Everyone present, whether it was Shiki's group of three or Kaido, wore expressions of sheer shock.
Kaido truly hadn't expected that some fellow he'd casually picked up as a potential ally had already mastered Conqueror's Haki infusion.
The man's strength was clearly a cut above his own. That realization made Kaido's original plan waver slightly.
After all, he didn't really know Ren that well. If the guy went back on their deal later, Kaido would be taking a massive loss. In that case, it might actually be better to genuinely team up with Charlotte Linlin.
Under the current circumstances, even if he did break through and escape, he'd only be helping Big Mom out of consideration for their past relationship. That would also repay the debt he owed her for the Devil Fruit.
As for the even older debt from their days on the Rocks' ship, that was something else entirely.
With that in mind, he gave King a look, then gripped his Hassaikai and charged at Ren.
He appeared to still be following the plan, launching his attack at Ren. His spiked club was swung like a baseball bat with all his might!
To be honest, with Ren's current size, he really wasn't much bigger than the club in Kaido's hands.
THOOM!
Ren was instantly sent flying by Kaido's "successful" sneak attack, hurtling through the air like a cannonball.
Kaido landed lightly, casually slinging the Hassaikai over his shoulder.
He then put on a show of nonchalance as he looked at Charlotte Linlin.
"Yo, Linlin, long time no see. Looks like you've got a bit of trouble on your hands."
Charlotte Linlin froze for a few seconds, then quickly broke into a wide smile. It seemed Kaido's assistance had put her in an excellent mood.
"Kaido, you bastard, so you did show up. Can't believe it took you this long. Were you just watching from the sidelines the whole time?"
"Don't be so ungrateful. I just finished fighting the Marines and came straight here to back you up." Kaido grumbled.
But speaking of which, why hadn't those Marine guys caught up yet?
That question suddenly flashed through Kaido's mind.
But it was quickly pushed aside. All of them seemed to subconsciously overlook that point.
Though that was understandable. After all, the New World had never been the Marines' stage.
"Troublesome bastards, one after another..."
Shiki had also noticed the situation on that side. But already fighting two opponents at once, he had no bandwidth to spare for worrying about it.
He was a bit worried about Ren. After all, Kaido had grown somewhat stronger over the years.
One-on-one, he definitely wouldn't be a match for Ren. But with Big Mom added to the mix, even Ren couldn't possibly win.
On the other side, the Ren who had been sent flying by Kaido shook his head, and his eyes grew a bit darker.
That force. That was definitely not what Kaido had agreed to beforehand.
'That black-hearted bastard. Looks like he's betrayed us.'
For pirates, betrayal was obviously par for the course. Just since entering the cavern, various alliances and betrayals had already been happening nonstop.
Kaido switching sides mid-battle to help his old flame was something Ren had more or less anticipated.
But facing two opponents, he couldn't afford to be as relaxed as before. He'd have to go all out!
On the other side, King, having received Kaido's signal, slowly rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
He and Kaido had already established their signals. Alliances between pirates were never solid to begin with. They'd been prepared for betrayal from the start.
SHIIING—
Amidst the distant cannon fire, a faint sound of steel slowly grinding out could be heard.
King's movement was subtle. He was like a predator, a pterosaur soaring in the sky, fixating on a fox crawling on the ground.
The blade he slowly drew seemed to be accumulating power. The next moment, the silver light swaying among the branches of the Moon Tree suddenly thrust toward Matsuri's eyes!
CLANG!
A piercing, crisp sound of steel clashing against steel rang out abruptly!
Matsuri gripped the Cursed Blade Kochōbyō Isshin. The crimson blade deflected King's strike. As if she had anticipated everything, she immediately launched a counterattack.
Flowing flames engulfed the blade. In the instant Matsuri swung her sword, blue flames shot outward, suddenly scattering in midair like a swarm of butterflies beating blue wings as they surged toward King.
King didn't recklessly engage those flame butterflies. Instead, he quickly created distance. Black wings unfurled on his back as blazing orange flames rose behind him, granting him special power.
The arm gripping his sword hilt suddenly swelled. He swung with all his might, and the rampaging sword energy tore through the entire sky of butterflies!
"Your swordsmanship..."
Matsuri looked at him with puzzlement.
Ren had already warned her to be careful of him. But she hadn't expected King's swordsmanship to be... not too strong, but rather quite average.
Rather than calling it swordsmanship, it was more like he was relying entirely on the raw force of his Haki to brute-force his way through.
In reality, King didn't particularly care about the finesse of swordsmanship. He was no swordsman. He had simply chosen this weapon by coincidence.
He had taken up a weapon simply because he had a need to kill.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a woman."
King's entire face was covered by his mask. He had hidden the fact that he was a Devil Fruit user, only revealing it now.
But his words still made Matsuri want to laugh.
The current Matsuri was far from the weak girl she used to be. She had trained the hardest among all the girls in martial arts. Even Yukiko couldn't match her dedication.
Combined with the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that compensated for her lack of physical attributes, these two factors guaranteed that Matsuri's achievements would be anything but low.
The proof was that Ren even trusted her to wield the Cursed Blade Kochōbyō Isshin! That blade's power and eeriness were on par with Enma. If the wielder wasn't strong enough, it would only bring about their own destruction.
Even if King would go on to become an All-Star of the Beast Pirates in the future, right now he was still only in his teens. In a real fight, he truly was no match for Matsuri.
[
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